SURPASS was a Research and Innovation project funded by Horizon Europe 2021. Its  objective was to lead by example the transition towards more Safe, Sustainable and Recyclable by Design (SSRbD) polymeric materials. The project started in June 2022 and ended in December 2025.

Objectives

The SURPASS project demonstrated innovative technologies that reduce hazardous additives, improve recyclability, and lower the environmental footprint of next‑generation plastics. Through industrial case studies, optimised reprocessing methods, and a scoring‑based SSRbD assessment framework, SURPASS supported designers, formulators, and recyclers in creating safer and more circular polymer systems. 

All results, methodologies, and tools are accessible through the project’s Digital Infrastructure, enabling SMEs and stakeholders across the plastics value chain to adopt SSRbD principles and accelerate Europe’s transition toward sustainable polymer innovation.

Consortium

The SURPASS consortium consisted of 13 partner organisations led by CEA (France). It was well-balanced in terms of involvement of research and technology organisations and industry partners: CEA (France), IPC (France), CIDETEC (Spain), LEITAT (Spain), INDRESMAT (Spain), UGA (France), GEONARDO (Hungary), BASF (Germany), RIVM (the Netherlands), UNE (Spain), ICT (Germany), WIPAK (France), WFO (Belgium).

RIVM role

RIVM had a leading role in developing a hazard assessment strategy as part of the overall SURPASS safe, sustainable and recycle-by-design (SSRbD) assessment and guidance infrastructure. Within the hazard assessment strategy, RIVM focused on identifying potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals that might leach from plastics. RIVM also led the operationalising of SSbD criteria as defined by the European Commission and played a role in engaging external stakeholders to streamline ongoing initiatives in the field of SSbD.

Dr (Doctor) Yvonne Staal coordinated RIVM’s contribution to the project and led the task on hazard assessment. Dr Lya Soeteman-Hernández led the task on operationalisation of SSbD. RIVM staff members from the Centre for Health Protection and Centre for Safety of Substances and Products were involved. Centre for Health Protection are involved. 

Scientific publications

In addition to the digital infrastructure, the project has resulted in several scientific publications. RIVM contributed to the following:

Soeteman-Hernández L, Cabrera G, Huegun A, Outón PR, Artous S., Desrousseaux S., Staal Y., Cazzagon V., Camilla Delpivo C., Daniel Ganszky D., Clavaguera S. Safe, sustainable and recyclable by design (SSRbD): A qualitative integrated approach applied to polymeric materials early in the innovation process. Sustainability & Circularity NOW 2025. 

Artous S., Desrousseaux S., Steck J., Fontaine H, Schmidt P.M., Ganszky D., Delpivo C, Cazzagon V, Candalija A., Martinez R., Harvey T, Tissier D, Cabrera G, Librere S, Douki T, Huegun A, Sharma A, 
Soeteman-Hernández L.G., Noël S, Staal Y, Clavaguera S. Safe, Sustainable, and Recyclable by Design (SSRbD): A Quantitative Integrated Approach through a Scoring System Applied to Polymeric Materials. Sustainability & Circularity NOW 2026; 03: a29024974.

Berenguer M, Béal D, Bétemps J, Boudard J, Ravanat JL, Bouwmeester MC, Staal YCM, Cazzagon V, Candalija A, Martinez R, Hambruch N, Huegun A, Berner V, Höhne CC, Tissier D, Artous S, Breton J, Douki T. Hazard associated with the synthesis of epoxy-vitrimer: In vitro risk assessment and scoring strategy. Toxicol In Vitro. 2026 May;113:106214. 

Arrate Huegun; Amaia Llorente; Stéphanie Desrousseaux; Daniel Ganszky; Larissa Hammer; Anna Maria Cristadoro; Lya G. Soeteman-Hernández; Simon Clavaguera; Frank Henning; Carl-Christoph Höhne. Circular vitrimer-based composite materials for railway applications: a Safe and Sustainable by Design based approach. Composites Part A (under review).

Rorije E., Zoutendijk S.L., Douki T., Candaija A., Bouwmeester MC., Berenguer M., Martinez R., Breton J., Hessel E., Soeteman-Hernández LG., Artous S., Staal YCM, Step-wise hazard assessment and evaluation approach in a Safe, Sustainable and Recyclable by Design context. In preparation.

Bouwmeester M.C., Wassenaar P., Tissier D., Douki T., Berenguer M., Breton J., De Boer T, Budin C, Hessel E., Staal Y.C.M. Assessment of Endocrine Disruption Potential of MultiNanoLayered-films in a Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design context. In preparation.

Funding

The research project SURPASS received funding from the European Union‘s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2021 under grant agreement no. 101057901.